Work Suggests New Avenues for Cleaning Up These ‘Forever Chemicals’

The synthetic chemicals known as PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are found in soil and groundwater where they have accumulated, posing risks to human health ranging from respiratory problems to cancer.

Thanks to laboratory testing contributed by a team led by Dr. George K. Wong of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, a controlled mud level horizontal gravel pack – an industry first – was executed by Shell at the Perdido field in the Gulf of Mexico.

Projects Focus on Ways to Speed Transition to Low-Carbon Future

The Center for Carbon Management in Energy at the University of Houston has awarded $275,000 in research funding for projects focused on carbon management and the energy transition.

The projects cover a range of projects, from converting carbon to fuel and other useful products to a proposed new wireless monitoring system for carbon capture storage.

Despite the unique ending to the spring 2020 semester, the year turned out to have a silver lining for at least one energy-related student chapter at the University of Houston.

As the coronavirus spread throughout the United States, one Cullen College of Engineering alum felt compelled to act and to support the university that helped him.

GQ Guo graduated from the college with a Master's in Petroleum Engineering in 2017, but continued to monitor the pandemic in Houston following his graduation. When one of his friends in China opened a mask factory, Guo arranged to send 800 masks to the university.

Dr. Pushpesh Sharma, a May 2019 graduate from the University of Houston's chemical engineering and petroleum engineering programs, has earned distinction for his work as a doctoral student and with the start-up Inveniam Asset Management by being named one of The Way Ahead's 2020 Energy Influencers.

Nhung Nguyen, a junior majoring in petroleum engineering at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, is one of 100 students chosen from around the world to attend the Education Week program of the 2020 International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) being held January 11-15, 2020, in Saudi Arabia.

The American Society of Indian Engineers and Architects (ASIE) awarded seven of their 22 engineering scholarships this year to students attending the UH Cullen College of Engineering. The selected undergraduate and graduate students represent six of the college’s seven engineering departments.

Here are the UH scholarship winners:

Engineering – Undergraduates

Forbes, a renowned business publication, has selected seven UH Cullen College of Engineering students to participate in its 2019 Under 30 Scholars program. Last year only one engineering student, Ayoola John-Muyiwa (BSPetE ’19), was chosen.